3/11 Instance: Meggan Needs a Raise

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Slarti
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Title: Damn Not Given
Nightscrawlearth Character: :icey :phoenix

3/11 Instance: Meggan Needs a Raise

Post by Slarti »

Timelined the day after Girls Night

<Shaw> The last time he'd checked on his daughter and the new nanny, Sebastian had nearly tripped over the woman. So, with the early light sending stabbing pains into the back of his skull and a sour taste in his mouth, he was much more careful. Once he scraped himself off the sofa, that is.

<Meggan> Meggan lifted her head and yawned, stirred by the noise. She glanced over at the cot but Miriam was still sleeping so she settled down again. Then the door opened.

<Shaw> And there she was. Again. "Miss Jones?"

<Meggan> She stood up, her form elongating into her human self. "Mr Shaw... good morning..." she offered a small smile.

<Shaw> Watching her shift was fascinating, but he felt like he needed another drink. "Ah... there you are." Sebastian rubbed the back of his neck and leaned against the door frame. "I'm sorry... for yesterday... and last night." He cleared his throat. "In general..."

<Meggan> She shook her head, "Oh no, it's okay..." she offered another smile, "These things happen..."

<Shaw> "Not as often as it might seem," he promised, then headed for the rocking chair when he realized he might slide down the door into an unsightly puddle.

<Meggan> "Well... that's a relief," she gave him a small grin, "But really, it's fine... Miriam's okay, she slept through the night... I hope everything's okay now..."

<Shaw> Sebastian aggressively rubbed his eyes. "Well, Jessica is still gone, and I haven't heard from her, or my..." Pausing, he realized he probably should tell her about Yukio.

<Meggan> Meggan's eyebrows went up at the sudden pause, "Your...?" she prompted.

<Shaw> "I keep a... ah... personal security officer on site..." Wait. "Well, across the street." Sebastian waved at the wall vaguely. "She monitors the house at all times for suspicious activity." Was he still drunk? "I sent her to ensure Jessica's safety."

<Meggan> "Oh, I see... I'm sure she's fine," she gave another smile, "Can I get you anything...?" he didn't seem well... which was not surprising.

<Shaw> "Thank you, no." He looked over at the crib again. "I was just ensuring she was well..."

<Meggan> "She's okay... if you want to get some more sleep I can stay with her a while longer, I don't mind..." She glanced at Miriam.

<Shaw> "This is not at all how I hoped your first days would be..."

<Meggan> "Things never go as planned when you have children," she smiled, "Don't worry about it, it's really okay."

<Shaw> "More children than expected..." he muttered.

<Meggan> She giggled, "That's usually the way." She tucked her hair behind her ear and went to the window to look out, "It's probably nearly breakfast time... should I put some coffee on?"

<Shaw> He could always add scotch. "Yes, please," he relented, taking two tries to push himself out of the rocking chair. It needed to stop that blasted rocking.

<Meggan> "Okay," she headed out into the hall and up the stairs to the kitchen to do that. Tea and coffee were safe for her to make, but not many other things that were hot.

<Shaw> Once up, he went to Miriam's crib and brushed his fingers over the baby's soft hair. "I promise you, I'll bring your mother home," he whispered.

<Meggan> It took her a few attempts to find the coffee but she managed it and set the pot on then she put the kettle on to make herself some tea.

<Shaw> Sebastian quietly watched his daughter sleep, fighting with his emotions. If he wasn't still drunk, he should be.

<Meggan> Meggan sat down at the table while she waited for the coffee and the kettle and wondered what to do with herself now. She yawned.

<Shaw> After a while, Sebastian left the baby to sleep and wandered into the hall. He could feel Hope and Michael still sleeping upstairs, and started for the kitchen, scratching at his jaw.

<Meggan> When Sebastian appeared in the kitchen, Meggan hopped up to pour him a cup of coffee and offered it out.

<Shaw> Sebastian smiled a little. "Thank you, my dear... but you needn't worry about waiting on myself or Jessica." He accepted the cup, debating looking for some scotch. "Or Michael or Hope for that matter..."

<Meggan> "I know... but you don't look very well so you should let me this morning... I'd do the same for anyone."

<Shaw> "I do appreciate it..." He curled his fingers around the cup and searched in a cabinet.

<Meggan> She offered a smile and returned to her seat at the table, drawing her cup of tea to her.

<Shaw> He added a splash of scotch to the coffee and joined her at the table.

<Meggan> Her nose wrinkled a little at the addition of scotch but she didn't say anything - it wasn't her place really. "I'll have to go back to the hotel in a bit... get a change of clothes and stuff.... but if you want me to come back I can... or I can wait until your background checks are done."

<Shaw> "I believe we can waive the background checks at this point, love." He sighed and breathed in the fumes from his drink. "But take whatever time you need. We've hardly treated you fairly so far." Sebastian gave her another faint smile and let his eyes linger to study her.

<Meggan> She shook her head, "It's really okay. Unforeseen circumstances and all that."

<Shaw> "You have a fascinating array of abilities," he blurted.

<Meggan> She blinked at the sudden change of subject, "Um... thank you?"

<Shaw> "Which did you develop first?" He took a sip of nearly-scalding coffee and alcohol.

<Meggan> "Um... I suppose the shapeshifting.... but maybe the empathy at the same time... I grew fur when I was a baby - they said so."

<Shaw> It was all incredibly fascinating, and much preferable to think about instead of his current situation. "They?"

<Meggan> "My... well... my family, I suppose..." she shrugged a shoulder, "I never really felt like they were family though."

<Shaw> "Biological or adopted?"

<Meggan> "Biological... my adoptive family are awesome and I love them very much," she gave him a smile, "I found them by accident."

<Shaw> "It seems many of us find those families entirely by accident," he said, smiling softly. Jessica was a complete surprise, and there was still a small, sentimental part of him that believed their meeting was fate. Sebastian closed his eyes.

<Meggan> Meggan shifted uncomfortably in her seat, her features changing briefly before she caught herself and shifted back. "They thought I was a puppy... and then I wasn't."

<Shaw> ".... a puppy?!" His eyes shot open and he looked at her, appalled.

<Meggan> She laughed, "I know... I was just sort of wandering around and they found me and brought me inside... and they were nice to me so I thought I'd let them see what I really looked like...."

<Shaw> "And they didn't reject you." He stared into the cup.

<Meggan> She shook her head, "Nope... well... it took them a little while to get used to the idea but they're pretty easy going."

<Shaw> "I suppose that is a good trait where our kind are concerned," he chuckled.

<Meggan> "Yeah... especially when your new houseguest randomly shapeshifts..."

<Shaw> Sebastian cleared his throat. "I did apologize for tripping over you, yes?"

<Meggan> "The sentiment was there even if the words were unintelligible," she gave him a grin, "Really, it's okay."

<Shaw> "I do hope we weren't too disruptive..."

<Meggan> "Perks of hiring an empath... I had anticipate any upset and head it off," she smiled again and took a sip of her tea.

<Shaw> "Do you believe Jessica will be able to learn to do that?" He looked up to watch her with interest.

<Meggan> She nodded slowly, "I don't see why not... but I suppose it depends how strong her empathy is... and how much control she can get over it."

<Shaw> "How does one begin to achieve control?"

<Meggan> "You have to try and separate your own emotions from other peoples... learn to keep them in one place, protected inside... does she know how to shield?"

<Shaw> "In theory." Sebastian took a drink from his cup. "I am a telepath, and I have tried to assist her. We have a link through my ability. When I manifested telepathy I spent years unable to control it until I met another like me... perhaps this will be much the same."

<Meggan> "Well maybe... but I don't shield.... I had to learn the hard way. She might find it easier than I did... and I knew there was a telepath in the house... maybe more than one but yesterday was confusing..."

<Shaw> He cleared his throat. "Yes, there is more than one, and the other is more powerful than I, by some measure." He decided this deserved another drink. "If you do not shield, how to you protect your mind?"

<Meggan> Meggan gave a helpless shrug, "I've never really had to..."

<Shaw> "But you said you must separate and protect your emotions from others."

<Meggan> She nodded, "It's hard to explain... it's not like building a wall between me and the outside... it's more like a moat..." she wrinkled her nose, "I don't know... it's hard to explain. I tried to learn to shield before... when I was at Xavier's school... but I could never get the hang of it. It didn't feel right."

<Shaw> Sebastian stared at her for a long time, trying to decide what she meant. Then he gave up with a grunt and went back to drinking.

<Meggan> "If you're going to have the ability to read emotions... I think it requires being somewhat open to them... it's not like telepathy... similar but different."

<Shaw> "I suppose that makes a sort of sense. I have learned to screen our link, when necessary."

<Meggan> "Probably for the best until she learns some control..." she offered a small smile, "But she probably knows you're doing it."

<Shaw> That gave him pause enough to stare into his cup. Perhaps that was why she seemed to think he was hiding things from her?

<Meggan> Meggan settled back in her chair and sipped her tea, both hands wrapped around the mug.

<Shaw> Why would she feel she needed to compete with Hope for his attention? She was jealous of Hope? His... unfortunate indiscretion with her had been a complete mistake and had happened when his memories were wiped.

<Shaw> Sebastian's stomach twisted when he remembered it. Jess blamed him for it still?

<Meggan> It was awkward, feeling all of this pain rolling off someone who was essentially a total stranger to her. She wasn't really sure what to do about it but, on impulse, she reached a hand out and rested it on his forearm.

<Shaw> Sebastian very nearly startled at the touch, staring down at the hand on his arm. Then, he gave her a faint smile.

<Meggan> "You should try and get some more rest," she suggested, "I can watch Miriam for a few more hours."

<Shaw> "No, love, we've imposed enough." He sighed and patted her hand. "And I think I would like to spend some time with my daughter..."

<Meggan> "Alright, if you're sure..." she gave him a small smile, "I'll finish my tea and leave you alone for a little while... come back this afternoon if you want."

<Shaw> "That would be good." Sebastian smiled again, still looking more as if he were in pain. "Thank you."

<Meggan> "Hey, you don't have to thank me... it's my job now," she patted his arm then withdrew her hand to her mug again.

<Shaw> "Still, it's much appreciated." He sighed. The girl might already be due for a raise.
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